Fritters and Patties!

My daughter makes incredibly delicious pork fritters, the German way!  She pounds the pork tenderloin meat into a nearly plate sized piece of meat, double dredges it in four, egg and breadcrumbs …  and flavors it with her own blend of spices.  I don’t go to that much trouble, but what I have recently learned from her is that the meat is much more delicious if you spread it with prepared horseradish and grainy mustard before you dip it the first time.  For me, the first dip is in an egg wash.  Then I dredge it in seasoned breadcrumbs.  I season plain breadcrumbs with dried parsley flakes, garlic and onion powder, salt and pepper. I use thin slice pork tenderloin, often sold as boneless breakfast chops.  I pan fry my fritters in a little bit of canola oil.

On this day, it is what I did in the remaining oil that was more delicious than the pork fritters.  Earlier in the week, I had baked a couple medium sized sweet potatoes.  I had one for dinner and stuck the second one in the fridge.  I needed to use it.  I made sweet potato patties!  Or is it a sweet potato fritter?  The difference is simple.  Fritters are made with shredded raw potatoes.  Patties are made with cooked mashed potatoes.  In this case, a mashed sweet potato.

These are really too simple, but the must have ingredient is Pampered Chef’s three onion rub.  I use it as a seasoning blend on and in many things, but I don’t think this recipe would be the same without it.

Peel and mash a medium sized baked sweet potato.  Add one egg, a half teaspoon of salt and one Tablespoon of the three onion blend.  Mix it well.  Use a cookie scoop and drop balls of the mixture into the seasoned breadcrumbs.  (Important to note that these don’t have Italian seasoning in them.  Simple garlic, onion and parsley.)  Bread them all the way around and drop the balls into the pan for frying ... right in the oil left from frying the pork. Gently flatten the balls and turn them after a minute or two to brown the other side.  No additional seasoning is needed.

I served my pork fritters on buns with sweet mustard.  I added strips of a big white radish to my plate with the sweet potato patties.  This made a nice supper but would be equally delicious as breakfast or brunch with a poached egg!   Enjoy!

 

Mexican Meatball Soup

I’ve recently noticed several recipes online and on cooking shows for Mexican Meatballs. Years ago, I made them from a recipe in a New Mexico Cooperative Extension cook booklet that my brother gave me.  He raised his family in New Mexico. That recipe included raisins and said the meatballs were frequently served at wedding feasts. The recipes I was finding now did not include raisins, but the next time I make them, I’m adding them.  I think they give a deeper flavor.

My granddaughter loves chili, and she was staying with me the weekend before Halloween.  We always have a chili feast on Halloween, so knowing that … I needed to make us a soup that I was sure she would eat but was not too close to chili.  So, I reworked one of her favorites, chicken tortilla soup, and made it with beef stock and ground beef Mexican Meatballs.

This soup recipe is so simple and includes lots of canned ingredients.  It is quick to put together.  While it begins to simmer, you can make the meatballs and air fry them.  When they are done, just toss them into the simmering soup and in less than an hour, you have a delicious bowl of goodness.

Mexican Meatball Soup

1 cup of chopped onion, green and red peppers
1 quart of beef stock
2 15-ounce cans of mixed chili beans
1 15-ounce can fire roasted corn with peppers
½ cup uncooked rice
1 15-ounce can of red enchilada sauce
1 15- ounce can of fire roasted tomatoes
2 Tablespoons of tomato paste
1 can of tomatoes with chilis
1 small can of chili peppers

Season with a ½ teaspoon of  garlic paste, 1 teaspoon of chopped cilantro and ½ teaspoon of Mexican oregano.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

In a drizzle of olive oil, sauté the chopped onion and peppers until they are soft.  I keep a bag of frozen chopped onions and peppers and that makes this even easier to make.  Add everything else on the ingredient list.  Don’t drain the vegetables.  Stir it to combine, bring to a boil then turn down to a simmer.

While the soup simmers, make the Mexican Meatballs.  This, too, is a shortcut recipe.

Mexican Meatballs

1 pound ground beef
1 package of taco seasoning mix
1 can of green chilis
1 Tablespoon dried minced onion
1 egg and ½ cup of dried breadcrumbs
¼ cup of chopped fresh cilantro

Mix all the meatball ingredients together.  Use a small cookie scoop and portion out the meatballs.  With wet hands, roll the meatballs until they are firm.  Cook the meatballs in your air fryer.  I cooked them at 370 degrees for about 8 minutes.  Watch them because every air fryer seems to be different, and you don’t want to burn them.

When they are done, gently drop them into the soup pot and let it simmer for another 30 minutes.  You are done!  Delicious soup that is great topped with shredded cheese, corn chips or salt crackers.  It is a wonderful meal served with warm cornbread.